Latvian lawmaker Aleksey Roslikov has accused authorities of using psychological pressure by intimidating his family

A Latvian MP has claimed his parents' home was raided in what he called an effort to intimidate him for defending the right of ethnic Russians in the country to speak their language. Alexey Roslikov, who is being investigated for inciting hatred over a recent speech in parliament, was reportedly briefly detained and released on Monday.

In his address to the Saeima earlier this month, Roslikov accused the government of persecuting Latvia's Russian minority, who make up roughly 25% of the population. He concluded his remarks in Russian and was escorted out for violating parliamentary rules established in May that mandate using only the Latvian language.

The authorities launched a probe against the lawmaker, accusing him of aiding an "aggressor state" [Russia] against Latvia. The country's State Security Service (VDD) confirmed conducting searches at properties linked to the MP, local media reported Monday.

Several members of Roslikov's For Stability! party reported his detention. The lawmaker later posted a video on social media stating he had been barred from leaving the country while the VDD probe continues. He has accused the authorities of targeting his family in an effort to apply psychological pressure.

"They searched my place, they even searched my parents' place, they searched everything they could," he said.

Roslikov maintained that no evidence links him to Russia and described the allegations as a pretext for a more invasive investigation. He dismissed claims that advocating for the rights of ethnic Russians amounts to a criminal act.

The June 5 speech marked Roslikov's final address in the national legislature before he relinquished his mandate five days later. On June 7, he was elected to Riga's municipal legislature, and under Latvian law, he cannot serve in both roles. His resignation stripped him of the prosecutorial immunity afforded to MPs.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Latvia and its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, have ramped up enforcement actions against individuals and organizations suspected of Russian ties.

Among the measures taken by Riga are mandatory Latvian language exams for ethnic Russians. Hundreds of people have reportedly been deported for failing the exam or refusing to take it.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the Baltic states of pursuing discriminatory policies against ethnic Russians driven by nationalist motives.

(RT.com)